Roadside repair kit for restoring tire bead integrity

ABSTRACT

A sealing tube is wrapped around the rim and inflated such as to seal the gap between tire and rim if the seal between the tire bead and rim has lost its integrity. After this, the tire can be inflated to specified pressure at a slow rate using a portable compressor. The repair can be done at roadside on any vehicle using inflatable tires usually without demounting the wheel or even jacking up the defective wheel.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit and priority of provisional applicationSer. No. 61/520,208, filed Jun. 6, 2011 under 35 U.S.C. §119(e), whichapplication is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a roadside repair kit for restoringtire bead integrity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

At times, vehicle tires lose the integrity of the seal between the tirebead and the formed contact retaining ring region on the rim. The tirethen goes flat and cannot be re-inflated using a normal tire compressorsince the gap between tire bead and rim leaks air profusely and preventsthe pressure from building up in a normal fashion.

This “loss of bead” is caused by various events such as hitting a pothole at speed, rolling over a boulder off-road or on typical farm paths,or just due to a slow leak causing a flat tire. Especially on largetrucks or busses with tandem wheels, a tire going flat is often maskedby the adjacent tire. Since the “flat” tire of a tandem pair is loose,there is a high likelihood of bead loss upon acceleration ordeceleration.

Besides tire mounting machines at tire shops, other devices and methodshave been used to restore tire bead integrity and re-inflate tires. Forexample, the Cheetah Tire Bead Seater consists of a 10 gallon tankholding pressurized air at up to 160 psi with a large diameter exit tubeending in a flat flared opening that is fitted between the tire and therim on the side of bead loss. A high flow dump valve is then opened toquickly blast the tankful of air into the tire at such a high rate tooverwhelm the gap air loss and expand the tire so that the tire bead isagain seated against the rim and the tire is inflated.

Rema Tip Top bead seaters fit around a tire and compress the tire threadaround the circumference thereby forcing the side walls outward intocontact with the rim. This closes the rim/tire bead gap permittinginflation of the tire by a normal compressor at a slow rate.

The AA Doughnut-style bead seater is a large rubber O-ring ofappropriate size to be stretched onto the rim adjacent to the tire toprovide a temporary seal between tire and rim. Inflation of tire thenpops out the AA bead seater.

A backyard method uses a squirt of pressurized liquid butane into thetire that has lost its bead contact. The butane vaporizes and combineswith ambient air to form an explosive mixture which is then ignitedthereby popping the tire into place instantly if the proper amount ofbutane were used.

The Cheetah device is heavy, bulky, and quite expensive. The Rema TipTop units must be sized for a particular range of tire sizes; theyrequire jacking or removal of the tire in question, and at way over$100, they are expensive. The AA Doughnut rubber ring devices usuallyrequire the use of lubricant to permit them to slide on the rim innersurface; they must be sized to the rim in use, and they cannot be usedon inner surfaces or tires of a tandem pair without removing the tiresince the axle is an interference. The backyard method described isquite dangerous.

The present invention is a low cost disposable kit which mitigates oreliminates the shortcomings of the prior art devices and methods.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide an alternativeto the expensive proposition of having to call in roadside service toovercome the problem of loss of tire bead/rim integrity.

While a passenger vehicle usually has a spare tire that can be changedby the driver, larger trucks do not have this option since even theweight of the wheel and tire combination precludes such a solution.

Another objective is to provide an inexpensive disposable kit that istruly “one-size fits all”.

Other objects which become apparent from the following description ofthe present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In keeping with these objects and others which may become apparent, thepresent invention includes a long narrow flexible inflatable sealingtube which is fitted around the rim and between the tire and the rim toseal the tire to the rim temporarily while the tire is being inflated ina normal fashion. One end of the sealing tube is sealed shut and has anormal tire inflation valve (Schrader valve) attached at right angles afew inches away. The distal end of the sealing tube is left open.Although material and dimensions are not critical to the invention, inthe preferred embodiment the sealing tube is butyl rubber 1.125″ widewhen flattened out (0.72″ outer diameter when minimally inflated) andapproximately 80″ long. Wall thickness is approximately 0.038″. Otherelastomers with high friction surface such as polyurethane or latex canalso be used. A spring clamp for sealing the open end of the sealingtube (after folding over) is also included in the kit. A pair ofscissors would also be a handy addition to the kit. A compressor as fortire inflation is also used. Since large trucks have a built-incompressor, this is not included in the kit, but a small vehicle-poweredcompressor which plugs into the cigarette lighter can be separatelypurchased for this application. A manually operated tire pump can beused instead as well.

The method of this invention involves fitting the sealing tube aroundthe periphery of the rim adjacent to the tire wall near the bead. Theends of the sealing tube are crossed over each other and then it isinflated such that the gap between rim and tire is sealed. Then thecompressor is detached from the sealing tube and is used to inflate thetire. If the leakage is still too high to support the tire inflation atthe rate of the compressor, the long open tail end of the sealing tubecan be wrapped around the inflated portion of the sealing tube to causemore snugness. A second sealing tube may have to be used on the oppositeface of the rim as well if this does not close the leakage problem fromone side only. (Usually the tire is pushed against the rim on theopposite face sufficiently to seal bead to rim to support inflation.)Note that all of these procedures can be handled while the tire is stillon the vehicle. In most cases, especially with tandem tires, the wheeldoes not even have to be jacked off the ground. This is much easier thanchanging a tire on a passenger vehicle. Since a wrapping motion of thesealing tube is used around the rim, axles are not an encumbrance andboth faces of both tires can be sealed. The circumference of the tireneed not be jacked off the ground.

After sealing and tire inflation to recommended pressure for the vehicleand tire in question, any or all of the sealing tube that is loose canbe pulled off from between tire and rim. If a section is stuck, it canbe left in place since the tire bead may be sealing through it to therim. The objective of this invention is not to perform a final repair atroadside, but to enable a vehicle with a tire that had lost its bead tobe driven a reasonable distance to have a proper inspection and repair,if necessary, at a repair station without incurring the cost of callinga roadside maintenance crew.

The steps of the method for restoring tire bead integrity in a tire on avehicle, without removal of a wheel, include the following:

a) while the tire and rim are still on the vehicle, fitting a firstsection of a long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube around therim, between the rim and the tire adjacent the bead of the rim, thesealing tube being closed at one end and open at an opposite end, theclosed end of the sealing tube exiting away from the rim, the open andclosed ends of the sealing tube crossing each other, and an inflationvalve extending from the sealing tube between the closed end of thesealing tube and where the sealing tube exits the rim;

b) closing off the open end of the sealing tube;

c) feeding compressed gas into the sealing tube through the inflationvalve sufficient to close off and seal any gap between the rim and tire;

d) then feeding the compressed gas into the tire until normal tirepressure is obtained;

e) removing any excess length of sealing tube from the rim; and

f) resuming operation of the vehicle.

Thereafter, the vehicle can be optionally driven to a repair facility,or alternatively, a repair crew is brought for roadside service, wherethe tire is removed from the rim, the sealing tube is removed, and thetire is remounted.

Preferably, a second section of sealing tube is fitted around the rim atthe opposite face in the event inflation of the first section does notcompletely seal the tire on the rim.

In order to close off the open end of the sealing tube, a theaforementioned clip can be employed.

The tire being serviced can be either a single tire, or one of two tiresof a tandem pair of tires on a trailer truck or similar vehicle, whereinaccess permits either tire to be repaired at either face or at bothfaces. Furthermore, the sealing tube, when fitted onto the rim,optionally extends beyond an edge of the tire so that the sealing tubeis visible when the tire is reinflated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can best be understood in connection with theaccompanying drawings. It is noted that the invention is not limited tothe precise embodiments shown in drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an edge view of a rim with a top portion (including tire) incrossection illustrating a properly seated tire on one side and “loss ofbead” on the other face.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sealing tube of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spring clip for use in sealing theopen end of the sealing tube.

FIG. 4 is a crossection detail showing the sealing tube in place sealingthe gap between tire and rim.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a tire with sealing tube in placeattached to a compressor.

FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of a pair of tandem tires illustratingthe access to the various tire faces.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the method of use of the presentinvention to restore tire bead integrity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an end view of tire rim 1 with tire 2 normally seated at 3with bead 5 in contact with rim 1 and with a “bead loss” failure at site4 showing a gap between bead 5 and retaining groove 6 in rim 1.

FIG. 2 shows the principal part of the kit of this invention. It issealing tube 10 with closed end 11, open end 14 and Schrader valve 12.Valve 12 is displaced a short distance from sealed end 11 to facilitatehandling when fitting around rim 1. FIG. 3 shows a spring clip that canbe used to seal the open end of sealing tube 10, although many types canbe used, the least expensive stationery type clip is shown here.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the sealing tube of this invention in use. FIG. 4shows a detail of the intended placement of tube 10 relative to aseparated tire 2 and rim 1. FIG. 5 shows tire 2 with sealing tube 10wrapped around rim 1 with tube 10 sealed end crossed over under rimedge. Clip 15 is used to seal the open end (after folding over once ortwice). Schrader valve 12 is connected to outlet hose 21 of portablecompressor 20 with electric cable 22 leading to cigarette lighter plug23. Note a tandem wheel arrangement of FIG. 6. Both faces 26 and 27 ofthe outer tire 2 can be fitted with a sealing tube 10. Similarly, bothfaces 28 and 29 of inner tire 2 can be fitted with sealing tube 10 sinceaxle 25 is not an obstacle to the rim wrapping procedure.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart detailing the procedure for using the sealingtube 10 of this invention to do a roadside repair of a tire “bead loss”situation. The steps are self-explanatory and also represent theadditional steps that can be tried if tire inflation is stillproblematic after the first sealing tube is installed. These extra stepsconsist of using the dangling tail of the sealing tube to add more bulkto sealing the first face. If even that is insufficient, a secondsealing tube is used at the opposite face of the same tire.

In the foregoing description, certain terms and visual depictions areused to illustrate the preferred embodiment. However, no unnecessarylimitations are to be construed by the terms used or illustrationsdepicted, beyond what is shown in the prior art, since the terms andillustrations are exemplary only, and are not meant to limit the scopeof the present invention.

It is further known that other modifications may be made to the presentinvention, without departing the scope of the invention, as noted in theappended Claims.

1. A roadside repair kit for restoring tire bead integrity of a tirehaving an inner circumferential bead edge comprising: a long narrowflexible inflatable sealing tube; said tire insertable against acorresponding bead edge of a wheel rim; said long narrow flexibleinflatable sealing tube being fitted around said rim and between saidtire bead edge and said rim to seal said tire to said rim temporarilywhile said tire is being inflated; one end of said sealing tube beingsealed shut at one end and having a tire inflation valve attached atright angles to said sealing tube; said distal end of said sealing tubebeing left open; a releasable closure for sealing said open end of saidsealing tube, after said open end is folded over; and a compressorinflating said tire after said sealing tube is applied to said tire beadedge; and, said inflatable sealing tube being removable during inflationof the tire.
 2. The roadside repair kit as in claim 1, wherein saidsealing tube is butyl rubber.
 3. The roadside repair kit as in claim 1,wherein said sealing tube is about 1.125″ wide when flattened out and anouter diameter of about 0.72″ when minimally inflated, and approximately80″ long.
 4. The roadside repair kit as in claim 1, wherein said sealingtube has a wall thickness of about 0.038″.
 5. The roadside repair kit asin claim 1, wherein said sealing tube is polyurethane.
 6. The roadsiderepair kit as in claim 1, wherein said sealing tube is latex.
 7. Theroadside repair kit as in claim 1, wherein said compressor is a built-incompressor in the vehicle.
 8. The roadside repair kit as in claim 1,wherein said compressor is a vehicle-powered compressor which plugs intothe cigarette lighter of the vehicle.
 9. The roadside repair kit as inclaim 1, wherein said compressor is a manually operated tire pump.
 10. Amethod for roadside repair for restoring tire bead integrity of a tirehaving an inner circumferential bead edge, said tire being inflatableover a corresponding bead edge of a vehicle rim, said method comprisingthe steps of: fitting a sealing tube around a periphery of thecorresponding bead edge of said vehicle rim adjacent to the tire wallnear said bead; crossing respective ends of the sealing tube over eachother; inflating said sealing tube with a compressor such that the gapbetween rim and tire is sealed; detaching said compressor from saidsealing tube and inflating said tire after sealing and tire inflation torecommended pressure for the vehicle and pulling off said sealing tubefrom between said tire and said rim.
 11. The method as in claim 10,further comprising the step of providing a second sealing tube on anopposite face of the rim.
 12. A method for restoring tire bead integrityin a tire on a vehicle, without removal of a wheel, comprising the stepsof: while the tire and rim are still on said vehicle, fitting a firstsection of a long narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube around saidrim, between the rim and said tire adjacent the bead of said rim, saidsealing tube being closed at one end and open at an opposite end, theclosed end of said sealing tube exiting away from said rim, the open andclosed ends of said sealing tube crossing each other, and an inflationvalve extending from said sealing tube between the closed end of saidsealing tube and where said sealing tube exits said rim; closing off theopen end of said sealing tube; feeding compressed gas into said sealingtube through said inflation valve sufficient to close off and seal anygap between said rim and tire; then feeding said compressed gas intosaid tire until normal tire pressure is obtained; and resuming operationof said vehicle.
 13. The method of claim 12 in which said vehicle isdriven to a repair facility or a repair crew is brought for roadsideservice, where said tire is removed from said rim for repair if needed,and the tire is remounted.
 14. The method of claim 12 in which a secondsection of sealing tube is fitted around said rim at the opposite facein the event inflation of the first section does not completely seal thetire on said rim.
 15. The method of claim 12 in which a clip is employedto close off the open end of the sealing tube.
 16. The method of claim12 in which a portable compressor operating off a power outlet on saidvehicle is employed to inflate said sealing tube and said tire.
 17. Themethod of claim 12 wherein said sealing tube is about 1.125″ whenflattened out and an outer diameter of about 0.72″ when minimallyinflated.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein said tube has a wallthickness of about 0.038″.
 19. The method of claim 12 in which said tirebeing serviced is one of two tires of a tandem pair wherein accesspermits either tire to be repaired at either face or at both faces. 20.The method of claim 12 in which the sealing tube when fitted onto saidrim extends beyond an edge of said tire so that said sealing tube isvisible when said tire is reinflated.
 21. A kit for restoring tire beadintegrity of a tire having an inner circumferential bead edge, said tireinflatable over a wheel rim having a bead edge, said kit comprising: along narrow flexible inflatable sealing tube; said tire insertableagainst said bead edge of a wheel rim; said long narrow flexibleinflatable sealing tube being fitted around said rim and between saidtire bead edge and said rim to seal said tire to said rim temporarilywhile said tire is being inflated; one end of said sealing tube beingsealed shut at one end and having a tire inflation valve attached atright angles to said sealing tube; said distal end of said sealing tubebeing left open; a releasable closure for sealing said open end of saidsealing tube, after said open end is folded over; a compressor inflatingsaid tire after said sealing tube is applied to said tire bead edge;and, said inflatable sealing tube being removable during inflation ofthe tire.
 22. The kit as in claim 21, wherein said sealing tube is butylrubber.
 23. The kit as in claim 21, wherein said sealing tube is about1.125″ wide when flattened out and an outer diameter of about 0.72″ whenminimally inflated, and approximately 80″ long.
 24. The kit as in claim21, wherein said sealing tube has a wall thickness of about 0.038″. 25.The kit as in claim 21, wherein said sealing tube is polyurethane. 26.The kit as in claim 21, wherein said sealing tube is latex.
 27. A methodfor restoring tire bead integrity of a tire having an innercircumferential bead edge, said tire being inflatable over acorresponding bead edge of a vehicle rim, said method comprising thesteps of: fitting a sealing tube around a periphery of the correspondingbead edge of said vehicle rim adjacent to the tire wall near said bead;crossing respective ends of the sealing tube over each other; inflatingsaid sealing tube with a compressor such that the gap between rim andtire is sealed; detaching said compressor from said sealing tube andinflating said tire after sealing and tire inflation to recommendedpressure for the vehicle and pulling off said sealing tube from betweensaid tire and said rim.
 28. The method as in claim 27, furthercomprising the step of providing a second sealing tube on an oppositeface of the rim.
 29. A method for restoring tire bead integrity in atire for use with a vehicle having a wheel rim, comprising the steps of:fitting a first section of a long narrow flexible inflatable sealingtube around said rim, between the rim and said tire adjacent the bead ofsaid rim, said sealing tube being closed at one end and open at anopposite end, the closed end of said sealing tube exiting away from saidrim, the open and closed ends of said sealing tube crossing each other,and an inflation valve extending from said sealing tube between theclosed end of said sealing tube and where said sealing tube exits saidrim; closing off the open end of said sealing tube; feeding compressedgas into said sealing tube through said inflation valve sufficient toclose off and seal any gap between said rim and tire; then feeding saidcompressed gas into said tire until normal tire pressure is obtained.